Ireland is among the top performers of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) developed by Economist Impact, which sets a common framework to identify and address the drivers of food insecurity.
Eight of the top ten countries this year come from high-income Europe, led by Finland Ireland and Norway, while Japan and Canada round out the remainder of the top ten.
The GFSI evaluates food security in 113 countries across four key pillars, including affordability; availability; quality and safety; and sustainability and adaptation.
Consistent with previous years of the index, six of the bottom ten scoring nations in 2022 come from Sub-Saharan Africa. The Middle East and North Africa, along with Latin America, are home to the three worst performing nations.
The difference between the top performer and the country at the bottom of the ranking has continued widening since 2019, reflecting the inequity in the global food system, according to the GFSI.
Global Food Security Index
Based on data of the past 11 years, the global food system has been weakening and becoming increasingly fragile with shocks experienced since 2020, including the Covid-19 pandemic and high commodity prices.
“At a time when global food security is of utmost importance, the GFSI shows that the global food environment is deteriorating. After hitting its peak in 2019, the GFSI has since declined amid skyrocketing food prices and hunger on an unprecedented scale.
“[The downward trend] reflects structural issues and significant risks in the global food system, which include volatility in agricultural production, trade and supply chains; scarcity of natural resources; and increasing economic inequality,” the GFSI states.
This year, affordability, which has fallen by 4% between 2019 and 2022, drags down the index as shocks like the pandemic and the war on Ukraine have led to rising costs for food.
“As these shocks become more frequent and severe, global food security will be
increasingly threatened,” according to Economist Impact.
Meanwhile, social and political barriers to access have dampened the availability of food, while agricultural inputs have seen some of the biggest increases in the past few years.
Sustainable agriculture
There has been a strong re-orientation towards innovation, with big improvements in access to agricultural technology; education and resources; and in commitments to using innovative technology.
An increase in political commitments to agricultural adaptation and sustainability, which increased by 10% from 2019 to 2022, was also a key in halting a further decline in the index this year.
The GFSI 2022 shows that a total of 89 countries currently have a climate strategy in place with specific measures for agriculture or food security, compared to just 74 countries in 2019.
“There are also big jumps in scores for pest infestation and disease mitigation policies, and a smaller jump in commitments to sustainable agriculture practices.
“In contrast, the GFSI also highlights how poorly nations fare in their soil organic content, which is important for growing high-nutrient foods, and in irrigation infrastructure,” according to the GFSI 2022.